Core Exercises for New Mums

I have a few friends who have recently had children or who are pregnant now (soooooo exciting!)

These beautiful women are literally creating life whilst massively changing their own. Like, massively. There is so much change, discovery, heartache, joy, exhaustion in the first months after giving birth. So much for new mums to contend with, so many challenges to face.

Why is one of them the pressure to have a flat tummy? It seems we’re a bit obsessed.

Recently, the lovely Kimmy Smith, a post-natal health and fitness expert, shared her tips for how to be a mindful mum (and therefore be a calmer one!). Today, I’ve asked her to give some advice and demonstrate some safe core exercises for new mums to help ease them back into shape.

But please, by no means is your worth as a mumma or a woman determined by your abs. So take it easy, start moving to feel good and get some exercise. Take time to look after yourself as well as marvel in the love of your new gorgeous bub.

Thanks again, Kimmy, over to you:

Kimmy Smith, post-natal health and fitness expert

Stretch marks, separation, cellulite, hernias – it goes without saying that most mums tend to have at least one complaint about their post-baby bellies. Before falling pregnant, I had spent ten years playing professional netball and working as a personal trainer. When I fell pregnant, I was certain that I was going to be one of those women who just magically ‘bounced back’. Except I wasn’t.

I had stomach separation, an umbilical hernia and a prolapsed bladder. At six months postpartum, I was still wearing my recovery shorts just to avoid awkward questions about whether I was pregnant again.

As women, we have the habit of judging our health, fitness and happiness on the shape and tone of our stomachs. If our stomach is flat, then we feel lean and toned. If our belly is bloated, then we feel sluggish and overweight.

It’s time to shift our perspective on the way that we view our bodies. We have grown a human and have spent nine months growing and stretching. We need to give ourselves a break and shift our focus to one of appreciation and gratitude for all that your body has done for you. As you begin to move into a state of appreciation, you can also begin to strengthen and heal your body from the inside out.

Can you get your waist back?

The good news is that there is a lot you can do to create a strong and lean belly after baby. As a mum of two and the creator of the Fit Mummy Project App, I have spent a lot of time helping new mums to create a strong and toned mid-section.

Here are my top four tips to help reduce stomach separation and create a strong and toned belly after baby.

Tip #1: Start Early

I don’t mean doing planks in the hospital corridor, but within 48 hours of a natural delivery you can start to gently activate the deep core muscles of your stomach.

Activating these muscles will help to protect your lower back and start to reduce any separation. Check out my tips at the bottom of this page.

Bonus Tip: I highly recommend seeing a Women’s Physiotherapist to show you how to properly activate your pelvic floor and core. They will give you the confidence that you are doing these exercises correctly.

Just like your baby, your core needs daily care and love. Using a tool like the Fit Mummy Project App will help to keep you motivated to practice your core exercises daily with early post-natal core workouts that you can do from home.

Tip #3: Elongate, not Contract

Similar to when you were pregnant, you want to avoid any crunching or twisting movements whilst you are recovering from birth. Crunches and plank holds cannot only be bad for your pelvic floor in those early postpartum days, but they are also bad for stomach separation.

Check out the bottom of this post for core exercises that will help to reduce stomach separation.

Tip #4: Don’t Go Too Hard, Too Early

Some signs that you might be trying to work your core too hard are:

You’re getting a doming effect through the middle of your belly where you have separation

Your back is popping off the ground when you are doing exercises lying on your back

Your hip flexors are doing all the work or are getting super tight

Practice the exercises below to build your core strength up in a safe way.

Core Exercises for New Mums

Practice engaging the deep abdominal muscles before you start any core exercises

Before you start any core exercises, practice engaging the deep abdominal muscles called your Transversus Abdominis.

Kimmy Smith is the founder of the Fit Mummy Project App – the complete post-natal fitness and wellbeing App.

Kimmy is also an ex-professional athlete, fitness instructor, qualified yoga teacher and mother to two girls. Kimmy is on a mission to support and empower women to embrace the journey of motherhood.

In 2016, Kimmy launched the postnatal fitness and wellbeing hub, www.kimmysmithfit.com, an online destination that encompasses fitness, food and healthy mindset essentials including tips, advice, workouts, meal plans and recipes. It aims to help all new mums create a beautiful, fit and strong new body and life.